Automatic gun



Feb. 4, 1941. AQKRUM ETAL 2,230,328

AUTOMATIC GUN Filed April 25, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 4, 1941. A. KRUM EI'AL AUTOMATIC GUN Filed April 25, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 45 mounting position. 1 v J The gun casing a, Figs. 1 and 2, is subdivided transversely in known manner at the plane :c-a:

Patented Q Jessa-"#23 i v A 'roMa'rrc g z 7 Alfred animation-nu and Heinrich Herlach, Berlin-Frohnan, Germany, assignors to Rheinmetall-Boraig Aktiengesellschaft, Berlin, Germany, a corporation of Germany p Application April 25,1939, Serial No. 269,992 lnGermany'November-l. 1934 scam (or. 89-37) The invention relates to automatic guns and more particularly to the mountings for auto.- matlc guns comprising a casing with two parts which are adapted to be movedplvotally relatively 5 to each other about an axis parallel to the axis of the bore, to facilitate removing or exchanging.

the barrel.

Such guns, which can alsoibe used independently of the mounting, are, usually recoilably held in easily detachablemanner in the mounting by means of front and rear holding members It is.

an object of the present invention to facilitate rapid changing of the barrel and to render thisoperation easy without having to remove the-gun as a whole from the mounting.

'According to the invention the front bearings of the .gun mounting, carrying with them thebarrel part of the gun, are arranged so as to be able to swing out laterally about a common axis:

Releasable catches which must be operated to permit this movement, are preferably controlled in common by a singlehandle. By suitably constructing the catches a gun barrel which is to be changed can be freed by a single manipulation and swinging movement. 1

One typical embodiment of theinventlon is' shownin Figs. 1-3 of the accompanying drawings, and asecond in Figs.48. v

Figs. 1 and 2 show, in elevation and. plan, a

39 light machine gun with the upper part of a gun mounting; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional viewof the front bearing of the gun mounting on an enlarged scale taken on line III-III of Fig. 1. 1

A modified construction is shown in Fig. :4

which is a part sectional plan of the gun and gun mounting in question.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through the front bearing of the gun mounting on the line V-V of- Fig. 4. Y

Fig. 6 is across-section on the line VI--VI,

. and i w Fig. 7 on the line VII- VII; of Fig. 4.

- Fig. 8 shows the device for releasing the barrel when theparts are moved into the barrel-dis- (Fig. 1) at'the rear endof thebarrel. The front part :11 of the casing which is located-in front 5 of the plane of division :c-x, is adapted to be swung out laterally relatively to 'therear part czabouta pin a: (Fig. 2) p The gun casing a rests as a whole, andso as to be abl'eto recoil thereon, on'the gun support b of the gun mounting b, 5 and is attached to front and rear slide members b3, b: of the gun support by means ofclamping rings 0, ci. The front clamping ring c is arranged to be plvotally 'connected-withgthe memher In by a bolt 02 which is coaxial with the pin as of the casing, and is adapted to be moved from 6 its normal position when the gun is fclosed to '1 its open positionindicated by broken lines in Fig. 3. A spring. catch devicecs, c4, as provided in the clamping ring c secures it in its normal position. j, 10

Owing to the coaxial relation of the'pivots a:

and er the front partm of the gun casing, together'withjthe clamp ring 0 embracing it, can, 1 after disengagement .of the vspring catch 03 by meansof the handle ca be swung, relatively to II "the rear-part az of the casing which remainsunmoved in the gun mounting, into a position in which the barrel can be drawn, unhindered by parts of the gun or gun mounting, out to the rear.

In the second form of construction shown in m Figs. 4-8, the front casing part m of the gun (Fig. 4) can be swung after disengagementv of a catch d, into a sideposition relatively to the rear part as of the gun casing, this movement'taking place about a longitudinal pivot (Z3 disposed axially 28 parallel to the axis of the gun, so that the barrelcan be withdrawn to the rear. The bearing 0 is also adapted to pivot about the pivot, 02 on the gun mounting while maintaining its coaxial rela-' tion with the part :11 of the casing. This pivot c2 30 is carried on the slide be mounted on the tubular gun support In and the bearing'c itself consists of the lower half co which is formed as a single member and an upper clamp device which is subdivided into the two clamping members cs, 01 35- and which is provided with a locking device Ca, 69

of the type known per se and usual with flange closures.

Thebearing, c, when the gun is inserted, is

} normally secured to .the slide In by a retaining o claw c: (Fig. 5), which is firmly connected with a pin e by a pin e1 which runs parallel with the pivot 02 and which in its turn rests rotatably in the bearinghalf co, and by a cross-arm ,f fixed to the pivotcz. by means of a pressure member es and the spring e2 acting on the projection a; (Fig. 7), in such a manner that the retaining claw 03 engages the slide b3 and the gun bearing 0 is secured against relative movement. plingmember d of the gun whenclamped in the mounting, the pin .e carries a lever 9 (Figs. 4

and 6) which is firmly connected therewith by a pin es and which has a pressure finger-giwhich' The shaft e'is biased to rotate,

Opposite the casing couspring pressed member d. On the outer end of the lever g is mounted a slidable handle h, which, when in its neutral position, is pressed by a spring hi to cause a locking nose he to engage under a locking claw b4 provided on the slide ha, and in this position the pin e is locked against unintentional rotary movement.

The gun mounting slide b3 carries, at the hinge side of the front gun bearing 0, a supporting tray b5 (Figs. 4 and 5) which receives the casing part or when the latter has been swung with the pivoted bearing 0 into the barrel-removal position. Moreover, on the slide b: or elsewhere on the gun mounting, there is provided a spring:- urged plunger stop It (Figs. 4 and 8). When the gun is swung to the "open" position the stop It co-operates with a bell-crank lever i on the front part m of the casing. The lever i is then swung against the action of a spring ii and thereby strikes against the barrel which is thereby thrust rearwardly for a certain distance out of its casing of so that it can be gripped.

The clamping of the gun which recoils as a whole on the gun mounting, the rear partof the casing resting in a second vise-like bearing, is not affected by the changing of the barrel. To exchange a barrel which has been fired until it has become hot, with a new one, the gunner, behind the gun first presses the handle it inwards against the influence of the spring hi until it disengages from the retaining claw 114, then obliquely upwards, the pin e being then turned whereby, and when turned the coupling member d and the catch ca are disengaged. Further pressure on the handle h now causes the bearing c, together with the front part or of the gun casing, to pivot about the pin 02 and about the pin a: coaxial therewith. Shortly before the part or comes into position on the supporting tray b5, the lever istrikes the spring stop It on the gun-mounting and it is thereupon swung so as to move the barrel slightly out of its casing. 'I'he'lever 2 under the influence of its spring i1, immediately returns into its initial position, thrusting the spring stop It back against the influence of the spring k1. A new barrel can now be introduced into its proper front position in the casing part or. After the barrel has been changed, the bearing member 0 may be swung back, whereby all the catches-the gun catch d, the catch 03, andthe handle catch hz-re-engage automatically. The gun is again in its correct position on the gun-mounting and ready for firing.

;We claim:

1. A machine gun and a mounting in which it is adapted to be used, said gun having a front casing part supporting the barrel of the gun and a rear casing part supported by said mounting, joint means between said parts whereby the front casing part can be swung transversely to the barrel axis into a position out of alignment with the rear casing part to permit removal of the gun barrel from said front part, and a bearing pivoted on said mounting about an axis parallel to the barrel axis and in alignment with the axis of said joint means, said bearing supporting said front casing part forwardly of the joint-means.

2. A machine gun and a mounting in which it is adapted to be used, said gun having a front casing part supporting the barrel of the gun and a rear casing part supported by said mounting, joint means between said parts whereby the front casing part can be swung transversely to the barrel axis into a position out of alignment with the rear casing part to permit removal of the gun barrel from said front, part, a bearing pivoted on said mounting about an axis parallel to the barrel axis and in alignment with the axis c. said joint means, said bearing supporting said front casing part forwardly of the joint means, means for locking said bearing to the mounting in the position of alignment of said front and rear casing parts with each other, and means for releasing the lockingmeans and also rocking said bearing and front casing part into barrel removing position.

3. A machine gun and a mounting in which it is adapted to be used, said gun having a front casing part supporting the barrel of the gun and a rear casing part supported by said mounting, joint means between said parts whereby the front casing part can be swung transversely to the barrel axis into a position out of alignment with the rear casing part to permit'removal of the gun barrel from said front part, a bearing pivoted on said mounting about an axis parallel to the barrel axis and in alignment with the axis of said joint means, said bearing supporting said front casing part forwardly ofthe joint means, means for locking said front casing part with said rear easing part in their aligned position, means for looking said bearing to the mounting in the position of alignment of said parts, and a single release means operative on both said locking means.

handle and a shaft mounted in the front casing part.

5. A machine gun and a mounting in which it is adapted to be used, said gunhaving a front casing part supporting the barrel of the gun and a rear casing part supported by said mounting, joint means between said parts whereby the front casing part can be swung transversely to the barrel axis into a position out of alignment with the rear-casing part to permit removal of the gun barrel from said front part, a bearing pivoted on said mounting about an axis parallel to the barrel axis and in alignment with the axis of said joint means, said bearing supporting said front casing part forwardly of the joint means, means for locking saidbearing to the mounting in the position of alignment ofsaid front and rear casing parts with each other, means for releasing the locking means and also rocking said bearing and front casing part into barrel removing position, and catch means on the mounting for releasably engaging said release member.

6. A machine gun and a mounting in which it is adapted to be used, said gun having a front casing part supporting the barrel of the gun and a rear casing part supported by said mounting, joint means between said parts whereby the front casing part can' be swung transversely to the barrel axis into a position out of alignment with the rear casing part topermit removal of the gun barrel from said front part, a bearing pivoted on said mounting about an axis parallel to the barrel axis and in alignment with the axis of said joint means, said bearing supporting said front casing part forwardly of the joint means, barrel ejecting means, and a stop on the gun mounting for operating said ejecting means when said front casing part can be swung transversely to the barrel axis into'a position out of alignment with the rear casing part to permit removal of the gun barrel from said front part, a bearing pivoted on said mounting about an axis parallel to the barrel axis and in alignment with the axis of said joint means, said bearing supporting said front casing part forwardly of the joint means, barrel ejecting means, a stop on the gun mounting for operating said ejecting means when said front casing part is swung out of alignment with said rear casing, and a spring for restoring the barrel ejecting means to normal position after its operation by the stop.

8. A machine gun and a mounting in which it is adapted to be used, said gun having a front casing part in which the gun barrel is removably attached and a rear casing part supported by said mounting, joint means between said front and rear parts whereby the front casing part can be swung transversely to the axis of the barrel into a position out of alignment with the rear casing part allowing removal of said barrel, a bearing pivoted to said mounting about an axis parallel to the barrel axis and in alignment with the axis of the joint means, said bearing supporting said front casing part forwardly of the joint means, means for locking said bearing to the mounting in position of alignment of said front and rear casing parts, means for locking said front casing part with said rear casing part in their aligned position, release means comprising a handle and a shaft mounted in said front casing parts, said shaft operating both said locking means and said handle on continued operation after release of both said locking means being adapted to swing said front casing part into barrel removing position, and means for releasably locking said handle to the mounting when the gun is in condition for use.

ALFRED KRUM.

HEINRICH HERLACH. 

